Date: 27/06/2021
Venue: Red Bull Ring
Max Verstappen struck a huge psychological blow when reeling in Lewis Hamilton last weekend and gets the nod again in our Styrian Grand Prix predictions.
Mercedes had dominated the previous two runnings of the French Grand Prix but were outpaced all weekend by Red Bull this time.
Looking at the Styrian Grand Prix odds, the momentum is definitely with Verstappen and he is rated a worthy favourite at 5/4.
Much was made of Mercedes getting their strategy wrong at Paul Ricard by making only one pit stop.
That game plan allowed Verstappen to take advantage of fresher tyres and sweep past Hamilton with a lap to go in another thrilling contest, giving us a 7/5 pay-out.
Hamilton now trails the Dutchman by 12 points in the title race while Red Bull moved 37 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship by completing a hat-trick of victories.
Britain’s seven-time world champion anticipates it will be difficult to stop Verstappen from winning again at the Red Bull Ring.
“It’s a power-hungry circuit, with long straights, so we could see something similar to this weekend given the straight-line speed of the Red Bull,” said Hamilton.
“We’ve got three days to see if we can make any adjustments and improvements and maybe, if we maximise absolutely everything, we can give them a run for their money.”
How the French Grand Prix finished
1 Verstappen (Red Bull), 2 Hamilton (Mercedes), 3 Perez (Red Bull), 4 Bottas (Mercedes), 5 Norris (McLaren), 6 Ricciardo (McLaren), 7 Gasly (Alphatauri), 8 Alonso (Alpine Renault), 9 Vettel (Aston Martin), 10 Stroll (Aston Martin), 11 Sainz (Ferrari), 12 Russell (Williams), 13 Tsunoda (Alphatauri), 14 Ocon (Alpine Renault), 15 Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo), 16 Leclerc (Ferrari), 17 Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo), 18 Latifi (Williams), 19 Schumacher (Haas), 20 Mazepin (Haas)
Verstappen was a distant third behind Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in this race last year but has previous fond memories of the circuit.
He won the Austrian Grand Prix in 2018 and 2019 at the same Spielberg venue, where he can rely on a strong support from Dutch fans.
The 23-year-old commented: “I’m looking forward to it because it’s like a home grand prix.
“We’ve had good results in the past but that doesn’t mean it will be a guarantee this year. I’m expecting it to be close again.”
Verstappen was significantly quicker than Hamilton in qualifying last weekend, so Evens he claims pole position again here is added to our Styrian Grand Prix betting tips.
Punters can also bet on who will fare best of the rest without the big four of Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas and Sergio Perez.
McLaren are expected to hold the upper hand over Ferrari in this battle and Evens for Lando Norris has obvious appeal from the Styrian Grand Prix odds.
The 21-year-old Briton performed well in both races at the Red Bull Ring last term, finishing third and fifth, and has been consistent this term.
His form figures read 4-3-5-8-3-5-5 and Norris really shone in the latter stages of the French Grand Prix when working his way through the pack.
Norris said: “A good one for us as a team, a fifth and a sixth, one of the best team results this season.
“Overall, a fun race. Hopefully, we can continue this into the next few races.”
Past Styrian Grand Prix winners
2020 Hamilton (Mercedes), Bottas, Verstappen
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